Fablehaven: The Complete Series (166 page)

The others whirled. “Gone?” Grandpa asked.

“I don’t know when,” Kendra reported. “He stuffed pillows under his covers. He took his emergency kit.”

Grandpa bowed his head, clapping a hand over his eyes. “That boy will ruin us yet.”

“We wouldn’t be hearing horns if they had caught him,” Coulter observed.

“True,” Grandma acknowledged.

Warren approached from behind, rubbing sleep from his eyes, his hair matted erratically. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently Seth has riled the centaurs,” Grandpa said.

“Would he have gone after the horn?” Grandma asked. “Surely he couldn’t be so foolish.”

“If he had gone after the horn, the centaurs would have him,” Warren said. “More likely he was mad he didn’t get to accompany us to Grunhold. He probably went sightseeing.”

Grandpa was gripping the porch railing hard enough to make the veins stand out on the backs of his hands. “We’d better send Hugo after him.” He raised his voice. “Hugo? Come!”

They waited. Nobody came.

Grandpa faced the others, looking sick. “He couldn’t have cajoled Hugo into joining him?”

“Mendigo?” Grandma called.

A moment later, the human-sized wooden puppet came dashing across the lawn, the golden hooks of his joints jingling. He stopped near the porch.

“Did Hugo leave with Seth?” Grandma asked.

The puppet pointed toward the woods.

“No wonder the centaurs haven’t caught him,” Tanu said. “If he’s on the run with Hugo, he should make it back.”

“And I’ll have to deal with the aftermath,” Grandpa grumbled. “The centaurs don’t smile on trespassers.”

“What can we do?” Kendra asked.

Grandpa harrumphed. “We wait.”

“Who would like a smoothie?” Grandma asked.

Everyone but Grandpa asked for one. Grandma was walking into the house when Tanu spoke up. “Here he comes.”

Kendra looked across the yard. Hugo came loping out of the woods at full speed with Seth tucked under one arm. The golem charged straight to the deck and placed Seth on his feet. At first her brother looked worried, but then he started trying to resist a smile. The call of horns continued to echo across the woods, the forlorn notes occasionally overlapping.

“Is something funny?” Grandpa asked in a severe tone.

“No, sir,” Seth said, still wrestling against a smirk.

Grandpa trembled with anger. “The centaurs are not to be trifled with. And you are not to be trusted. You are grounded indefinitely. You will spend the rest of your time here locked in a cell in the dungeon.”

Grandma laid a hand on Grandpa’s arm. “Stan.”

Grandpa shrugged away from her. “I’ll not lighten the punishment this time. We’ve clearly been too gentle in the past. He is not an imbecile. He knows that this type of behavior puts himself and his family at risk. And for what? To sneak a peek at some centaurs! Frivolous amusement! Hugo, how could you have joined him in this?”

The golem pointed at Seth. “Horn.”

“Yes, we hear the war horns,” Grandpa said impatiently. Then he paused, his expression softening. “Are you telling me that you went to rescue Seth after you heard the horns?”

“No,” Seth said, no longer smiling. He took something from his emergency kit. “He’s telling you that we got the Soul of Grunhold.” He held up the pearly unicorn horn.

Everyone on the deck gaped in disbelief.

“I’ll be jiggered,” Coulter murmured.

Grandpa was the first to recover, his eyes intently roving the trees. “Inside. Now.”

Seth returned the horn to his emergency kit and climbed over the porch railing. Warren clapped him warmly on the back. “Well done!”

“Hugo, resume patrolling the yard,” Grandpa said. “Your excursion with Seth never happened.”

Kendra followed her brother into the house, her mind reeling. How could he have possibly gotten the horn? Had there been some sort of total centaur malfunction? What about the guards and the maze and the troll? What about the guilt that prevented the horn from being taken?

They took seats in the living room.

“So, how mad are you?” Seth asked, holding up the lustrous horn, a grin creeping back onto his face.

“Less mad,” Grandpa admitted, fighting a smile himself. “At least you weren’t endangering us frivolously. Although it was still unwise. How was this accomplished?”

“First I went to Graulas.”

“The demon?” Grandma exclaimed.

“When I was outside with the satyrs, I heard him calling to me, summoning me, just like when I heard the wraith in the dungeon. I figured Graulas could explain what was happening to me, since dark stuff is his specialty. He told me that the nail turned me into a shadow charmer.”

“A shadow charmer?” Coulter repeated, frowning.

“Yeah,” Seth replied. “That was why I could see the invisible goblin at the hotel, and how I heard the voices. I already had most of the powers. Graulas just explained the details and made it official.”

The adults traded uncomfortable glances.

“Finish recounting how you obtained the horn,” Grandpa prompted.

Seth related the whole adventure, from the help he received from Nero, to crawling past the centaurs, to tricking the mountain troll, to his hasty retreat to the yard.

“No centaurs saw you,” Grandpa said.

“Not a glimpse,” Seth assured him.

“And you told the troll your name was Navarog,” Grandma confirmed.

“Right.”

“The centaurs will undoubtedly suspect us,” Grandpa said wearily. “But without proof, they cannot go to war. Our story will be that we tried to warn them as soon as we learned that the Society might be after the horn. They will be reluctant to admit that we stole the horn out from under them, and may embrace an alternate explanation.”

“Meanwhile, we should head for Wyrmroost,” Warren said. “Once we retrieve the key to the Australian vault, we can return the horn to the centaurs. We’ll pretend we recovered it from the Society.”

“We mustn’t move hastily,” Grandpa replied. “We should consult with the leadership of the Knights of the Dawn. This mission to Wyrmroost must succeed. We don’t have the expertise in this room to form a proper team.”

“I’ll second that,” Coulter muttered.

“We’ll need dragon tamers,” Tanu agreed.

“For sure I’m going,” Seth announced. “I got the horn.”

Grandpa turned to him. “You aren’t out of the woods yet, young man. Don’t start making wild presumptions. You took a huge unauthorized risk going to the centaurs.”

“Would you have ever authorized it?”

“We’re all fortunate you succeeded,” Grandpa continued, ignoring the comment. “Had you failed, you would be dead and we would have a war on our hands. Additionally, this shadow charmer business will require further investigation. Shadow charmers are the stuff of old bedtime stories. They are generally the villains. We have no idea what kind of access dark creatures may now have to you.”

“What if Graulas can now spy on us through your eyes?” Grandma said.

“I don’t think it works like that,” Seth said.

“We possess little sure knowledge of shadow charmers,” Grandpa reiterated. “We’ll do what we can to acquire more.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Coulter mumbled.

Grandpa leaned forward, regarding Seth kindly. “I honestly don’t know what to do with you. Facing Graulas was incredibly brave. So was retrieving the horn. I know you had good intentions, that you took a calculated risk. Moreover, you weren’t wrong. You pulled it off. Recovering the horn was a major coup. But until we learn more about your status as a shadow charmer, and because you took a potentially disastrous risk without permission, I’m afraid I still have to punish you.”

“Punish?” Seth blurted, rising to his feet, the horn in his hand. “Good thing I didn’t find the cure for cancer—you might have had me arrested!”

“I’m with your grandfather on this,” Grandma said. “We love you and we’re proud of you. The risks you took worked out this time. But how can we reward such behavior? Because we love you, we must teach you caution, or your boldness will destroy you.”

“I weighed my options and made smart choices,” Seth responded. “I didn’t set out to borrow the horn. I only decided to try for the horn after Graulas showed how my skills as a shadow charmer gave me a realistic chance at success. It was me or nobody. What would Patton have done?”

Warren chuckled. “He would have shaved the centaurs, dipped them in honey, covered them with feathers, and hung them up like a bunch of piñatas.” Kendra, Seth, and Tanu laughed. “I’m just saying.”

“Very few men who live their lives like Patton Burgess die in bed,” Grandma said gravely, extinguishing the snickers.

“We’re not sure how to guide you, Seth,” Grandpa said resignedly. “Considered in context, maybe your decisions were reasonable. Maybe if we were more willing to let you take risks, you could have come to us. I certainly don’t relish reprimanding you for courage and success.”

“Then don’t!” Seth urged. “Just be glad we have the horn! I know you love me, but sometimes that gets in the way. Honestly, was there any chance you would have let me visit Graulas if I’d come to you and asked?”

Grandpa met Grandma’s eyes. “No,” he admitted.

“You guys don’t like to let me take risks because you feel like you have to protect me. Even when protecting me could harm all of us. If we don’t stop the Sphinx, you won’t be able to protect anybody. I wasn’t off goofing around. Sometimes risks are necessary.”

“You’ll need to give your grandmother and me some time to consider this in private,” Grandpa said.

“Just keep in mind that my new abilities could come in handy at the dragon sanctuary,” Seth said.

“The excursion to Wyrmroost will likely be a suicide mission,” Grandma said. “The entire sanctuary is a death trap. Punishment or no, keep in mind that we’ll need to send in a small team of our most experienced operatives.”

Seth put his hands on his hips. “You can’t just cut me out of it.”

“Who we include or exclude is not up to you,” Grandma stated firmly.

“The reward would be not having to go,” Coulter huffed.

“Yeah, well, I’ll give this stupid horn back to the centaurs before I get left out of the trip to Wyrmroost,” Seth threatened. “Good luck taking it from me!”

“It isn’t going to be a vacation,” Coulter said.

“And it isn’t about seeing cool dragons,” Grandpa growled, clearly losing his temper.

“Although they will be cool,” Warren murmured, earning an elbow from Tanu.

Tears brimmed in Seth’s eyes. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say more; then he turned and stormed out of the room.

“What are we going to do with that boy?” Grandma sighed.

“I don’t know,” Grandpa said. “If he hadn’t decided to go after the horn, we’d still be treading water. Maybe he’s the only one of us seeing this clearly.”

Grandma shook her head. “Don’t kid yourself. His main interest is still the adventure. Saving the world is a happy side effect. This is all still a game to him.”

“Patton was the same way,” Warren mentioned. “He did a lot of good, partly because he relished the thrill.”

“I think Seth cares,” Kendra spoke up. “It isn’t only about the fun anymore. I think he’s learning.”

“He went through a lot tonight,” Tanu said. “And he hasn’t had much sleep. His emotions are tangled.”

“I could go talk to him,” Kendra offered.

“No, let him brood,” Grandma said. “He’s a good boy. He’ll settle down and find the shame in his outburst if we let him stew.”

“He’s right that we can’t take the horn from him,” Warren pointed out. “In fact, we may not be able to use it without him. It is still stolen property. He may be the only person who can withstand the guilt.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we must,” Grandpa said. “I swear, that boy will be the death of me. For now, let me get on the phone to Dougan. The Lieutenants should be able to help us assemble a strike force.”

“I’ll go and get—” Grandma began, but the sudden blast of a horn cut her off. Much louder than the other horns, this one sounded close.

Warren rushed out of the room. “They’re at the outskirts of the yard,” he called.

“I’ll handle this,” Grandpa said. “I hope Seth is right about their lack of proof.”

“Let me come,” Kendra suggested. “It’ll look more innocent, like we were caught off guard.”

Grandpa appeared ready to disagree. Then his expression changed. “Why not? You’re right, we don’t want to appear the least bit defensive. We want to look bewildered by their presence. But let me do the talking.”

Dale came stumbling down the stairs, bleary-eyed and in his nightclothes. “What’s all the racket?”